WARNING: Graphic Content 

14-year-long battle for clarity in the death of Ellen Greenberg, by multiple stab wounds ends with city of Philadelphia Medical Examiner upholding the earlier ruling that it ‘WAS a suicide’

The school teacher was found dead inside the sixth-floor apartment she shared with her fiancé Sam Goldberg in Manayunk, Philadelphia, on January 26, 2011

Greenberg was found with a 10-inch kitchen knife was sticking out of her chest

She’d been stabbed 20 times, including 10 times to the back of the neck and head, and her body was covered in bruises in various stages of healing

Philadelphia ME’s Office ruled death a suicide, which led to 14 years of legal battles and hiring investigators, experts and pathologists who have cast doubts on the official account

Multiple independent experts have uncovered damning evidence contradicting the suicide ruling

In February, the pathologist who carried out Greenberg’s autopsy in a U-turn, admitted he was wrong and now believes Greenberg did not kill herself

However Philadelphia’s Chief Medical Examiner Lindsay Simon, on Monday announced in a 32-page review, that she is standing by the city’s controversial ruling

School teacher Ellen Greenberg, [photo], 27, was found dead with a knife sticking out of her chest on the kitchen of the apt she shared with her fiancé Sam Goldberg in Philadelphia, on January 26, 2011 

The ruling 14 years ago in Philadelphia that the stabbing death of schoolteacher Ellen Greenberg has was a suicide has been upheld by the city of Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office. It was not the outcome that her family was hoping for, after their 14-year fight for answers. 
The 27-year-old bride-to-be was found dead on January 26, 2011, inside the sixth-floor apartment she shared with her fiancé, TV producer Sam Goldberg, in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk.  
Greenberg was found on her on her kitchen floor, a 10-inch kitchen knife sticking out her chest.
She had been stabbed 20 times, including 10 times to the back of the neck and head, and her body was covered in bruises in various stages of healing. 
That said, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office in a highly controversial report, ruled her death a suicide. The deceased woman’s parents Sandee and Josh Greenberg, along with several onlookers, who then never believed that ruling should have been the outcome, still hold that opinion. 

Despite this diagram of the knife wounds suffered by the 27-year-old elementary school teacher indicating that she had been stabbed 20 times mainly to the back of her head and neck, the Philadelphia ME’s Office ruled her death a suicide

For the past 14 years, the Greenberg’s have thrown everything into legal battles and hiring investigators, experts and pathologists who have cast doubts on the official account from the city.
Multiple independent experts highlight evidence they say contradicts the suicide ruling, including evidence that someone moved the body, one of the knife wounds appears to have been inflicted post-mortem, and discovery of her body did not happen as officials said. 
In an unforeseen twist, in February 2025, Dr. Marlon Osbourne, the pathologist who performed the original autopsy, stated in a sworn statement that he changed the manner of death at the time based in part on additional information provided by police, but that it is now his “professional opinion Ellen’s manner of death should be designated as something other than suicide.”
Amidst the new developments, on Monday in a new 32-page review, Chief Medical Examiner Lindsay Simon has announced she is standing by the city’s controversial ruling.

At the time of her death in 2011, Ellen Greenberg, [left], was planning her wedding to TV producer Sam Goldberg. The pair shared the Philadelphia apt where her body was found

Keeping with the extant decision, Simon claims Greenberg could have inflicted the 20 stab wounds on herself and says there were no signs of a struggle or defensive wounds at the scene. 
‘While the distribution of injuries is admittedly unusual, the fact remains that Ellen would be capable of inflicting these injuries herself,’ Simon wrote, saying that many of the wounds could be classed as hesitation wounds and that there is no evidence she was ‘incapacitated’ when they were inflicted. 
The medical examiner also pointed to a lack of evidence of domestic abuse in Greenberg’s relationship with her fiancé, Sam Goldberg.
Checking for biological traces left on the knife used to inflict the fatal wounds Simon wrote, did not turn up Goldberg’s nor anyone else’s DNA. Only the victim’s DNA was found on the weapon.

If Greenberg’s death had been ruled a homicide, a criminal investigation could have been launched into her death. Instead the review found. she was also suffering from anxiety at the time and had recently changed medication which was helping with her insomnia – meaning she had ‘an increase in energy to act on her anxious thoughts’

Greenberg was also suffering from anxiety at the time of her death and had recently changed medication which was helping with her insomnia – meaning she had ‘an increase in energy to act on her anxious thoughts’, the review found. 
‘With all of this information considered, it is the opinion of the undersigned that the manner of Ellen Greenberg’s death is best classified as ‘suicide,” Simon wrote. 
‘All opinions stated in this report are expressed with a reasonable degree of medical certainty.’
Joe Podraza, the attorney for the Greenberg’ family, slammed the medical examiner’s conclusion as ‘tripe, an embarrassment to the City, and an insult to Ellen and her family’.
Podraza branded the city’s ‘so-called ‘independent review” into Greenberg’s death ‘a deeply flawed attempt to justify a predetermined conclusion’. 
‘It includes false claims – like the assertion that a stab wound in Ellen’s spinal column was made during autopsy, a theory rejected by every credible expert, including the City’s own neuropathologist,’ he said. 
‘By ignoring key evidence that contradicts suicide – the extensive 3D photogrammetry, a recreation which proves Ellen could not self-inflict all of the wounds, unexplained bruises, missing surveillance footage, an intact lock, accounts of a toxic relationship, etc. – Simon builds a flimsy case on distorted portrayals of Ellen’s mental health, propped up by cynical distortions of Ellen’s managed anxiety, a condition widely experienced daily by over 40 million Americans. Shame on you Simon,’ Podraza wrote in his statement.

This 10-inch kitchen knife was found sticking out of Ellen’s chest, very close to her heart. DNA traces left on the knife matched only one person – the deceased, according to Chief Medical Examiner Lindsay Simon

This image of the wounds on Ellen’s body experts have said, cast doubts on almost every aspect of the case, including whether she would have been able to inflict the wounds on herself

Podraza added: ‘Ellen’s family just wanted the truth. It is clear the truth will not come from Philadelphia’s law enforcement machinery. Though Ellen’s city turned its back on her, we will continue through other avenues to get justice for her murder, by any means necessary.’
There had been three potential outcomes from the reexamination: officials would declare the schoolteacher died by homicide, her manner of death would be ruled undetermined, or officials would stand by their ruling and continue to rule her death as a suicide.
A homicide ruling – or even an undetermined ruling – would have led to a full criminal investigation into Greenberg’s death and into finding a potential killer.
With the city standing by its suicide ruling, it’s unclear what the next steps could be for the Greenbergs.
‘So long as that death certificate says suicide, it’s an obstacle for an investigation to proceed, because it’s the state literally saying no crime has occurred,’ Podraza confirmed days before the review was released.
‘The perfect murder is to have the manner of death declared a suicide. That’s the truth.’
On January 26, 2011, a huge nor’easter was sweeping Philadelphia, covering the city in snow and ice, shuttering schools and businesses, and sending residents hunkering down inside the safety and warmth of their homes.
That afternoon, Greenberg returned to the apartment she shared with her fiancé, Sam Goldberg.
Goldberg, told police he then went to the gym in the apartment building at around 4.45pm and returned around 30 minutes later to find the door locked from the inside. Surveillance footage captured him heading to and from the gym and in the lobby of the building around those times.

Ellen’s fiancé, Sam Goldberg, said their door was locked from the inside when he returned from the gym in the apt. building around 5.30 pm on Jan 26 2011, so he had to break it down

He sent a series of increasingly irate texts to Greenberg: ‘Hello,’ ‘open the door,’ ‘what r u doin,’ ‘i’m getting pissed,’ ‘hello,’ ‘you better have an excuse,’ ‘what the f***’ ‘ahhh’ and ‘u have no idea.’
During that time, he also spoke to his uncle and cousin James and Kamian Schwartzman, both powerful attorneys, on the phone.
After around an hour, Goldberg said he broke down the door to get inside and found his fiancée in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.
He placed a 911 call at around 6.30pm.  
Around two minutes into the call, Goldberg mentioned there was a knife sticking out of Greenberg’s chest.
‘She stabbed herself,’ Goldberg said. Moments later, he said: ‘She fell on a knife.’
Emergency responders pronounced Greenberg dead on the scene.
Responding police officers instantly treated her death as a suicide, because Goldberg said the door had been locked from the inside and no one else was inside the apartment. The home was not treated as a crime scene and no CSI team was called.
The next day, Assistant City medical Examiner Dr Marlon Osbourne, conducted Greenberg’s autopsy. Finding her numerous, horrific injuries, he ruled her death a homicide caused by ‘multiple stab wounds by an unknown person’.

Ellen Greenberg was found dead inside the kitchen on Jan 26 2011. Dr Marlon Osbourne who conducted the autopsy, based on her injuries, ruled her death a homicide caused by ‘multiple stab wounds by an unknown person’. Days later, following a closed-door meeting between the ME’s office, law enforcement and Dr. Osbourne, he changed his ruling to suicide, without explanation

But by then, the scene had been released and professionally cleaned by a cleanup firm. Goldberg’s relatives had also visited the home and taken possession of several electronic devices.
Weeks later, Osbourne changed the manner of death to suicide after a meeting with the Philadelphia Police Department, preventing any criminal investigation to identify her possible killer.
This January, Osbourne changed his mind, admitting in a sworn statement that he no longer believes Greenberg killed herself and that her manner of death should be designated ‘as something other than suicide’.
Three days later, just before the city of Philadelphia was set to face a civil trial brought by Greenberg’s parents, a settlement was reached in two lawsuits. A key part of the settlement included a commitment that the medical examiner’s office would carry out an ‘expeditious’ re-investigation of Ellen’s death.
While this appeared to be a turning point, several months went by with no response from the city.
After several months, Podraza filed a motion to force the city to keep its promise.
A tense hearing was held September 3, where Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Linda Carpenter scolded the city for dragging its feet, saying expedited should mean a week to 10 days and that the delay shows they ‘obviously just don’t care’.
The hearing concluded with the city agreeing to a deadline of October 14 to give its final answer as to whether Greenberg’s death ruling will remain as a suicide or will be designated something else.

Josh and Sandee Greenberg’s 14-year battle to get to the truth of their daughter Ellen’s death, only led to more heartbreak, it seems

The Greenbergs believe their daughter was murdered and they want to see her killer brought to justice

The reexamination appeared to signal a major step forward in the Greenbergs’ fight for justice. 
However, there were concerns that the city was effectively marking its own homework, with the reexamination being carried out by the very same authorities the Greenberg parents believe botched and covered-up their daughter’s case from the get-go. 
Days before the city released its review, Podraza declared:  ‘I’m not confident in anything in this case. We’ve been involved for six years and it has had so many twists and turns and surprises that I’m not taking anything for granted.’
Now, that reexamination has concluded and the city is doubling down on its ruling of suicide. 

Greenberg’s family attorney, William Trask, called the review “a deeply flawed attempt to justify a predetermined conclusion” and claimed Simon’s case is built on “distorted portrayals of Ellen’s mental health.” Ellen is pictured with her dad, Josh Greenberg

Along with Dr. Osbourne’s spectacular U-turn, numerous experts have long contradicted the suicide ruling.
Not only were half of the stab wounds inflicted to the back of Greenberg’s body, several were also catastrophic: one three-inch wound near the base of her skull caused a stroke, one severed the spinal column membrane, one sliced her aorta.
Prominent pathologist Wayne Ross, hired by Sandee and Josh Greenberg to review their daughter’s death, also found bruises, a scratch and what looked like finger marks on Greenberg’s neck indicating she could have been strangled.

Ellen had 11 bruises on her body, some which were in various stages of healing, indicating that she had suffered ‘a repeated beating’ prior to her death, Pathologist Dr. Wayne Ross said

Dr Ross also found bruises, a scratch and what looked like finger marks on Greenberg’s neck indicating she could have been strangled

Other bruising on Ellen’s body, which were in various stages of healing, also indicated she had suffered ‘a repeated beating’ prior to her death, Ross said
Ross concluded that it was impossible that Ellen made the final stab wound to her chest, as one of the stab wounds to her head ‘severed the cranial nerves and brain’ and would have caused her to lose consciousness.
Separately, Dr Lyndsey Emery, a pathologist in the medical examiner’s office, also examined Greenberg’s spinal column in 2019 and testified in a deposition that she found no hemorrhage.
One possible conclusion from this is that this stab wound was inflicted post-mortem. According to Emery, due to the knife being found in Greenberg’s chest, that could not have been the final stab wound.

Since married, Sam Greenberg, [in photo with Ellen], has spoken out publicly just once about his fiancée’s death. Maintaining Greenberg died by suicide, his written statement to CNN in late 2024, blasted the ‘lies, distortions and falsehoods’ about him

Others say the scene itself also looked staged, with the position of dried blood on Greenberg’s face indicating she had been moved to where she was found propped up against the kitchen cabinets.
Questions have also been raised over whether or not the apartment door was locked on the inside, meaning that Goldberg had to break the door down to get inside. 
The official account that Goldberg was accompanied by a security guard when he entered the apartment has now also been refuted by surveillance footage and the guard’s sworn testimony.
Goldberg has not joined Sandee and Josh in fighting the suicide ruling. The now a married father-of-two living in New York, has spoken out publicly, just once about his fiancée’s death.
In a written statement to CNN in late 2024, Goldberg who maintains Ellen died by suicide, blasted the ‘lies, distortions and falsehoods’ peddled about him.

Sandee Greenberg and her husband Josh both believe their daughter Ellen was murdered. The couple are committed in the quest to see her killer is brought to justice

In the months leading up to her death, Greenberg had been struggling with anxiety and had been prescribed Klonopin and Ambien. Greenberg told her friends and family that she was stressed with work but she had recently asked her parents if she could move back home with them.  
Her psychiatrist insisted she was not suicidal and she had not disclosed any domestic abuse.
Sandee Goldberg on the other hand, believes her daughter was being abused in the lead-up to her death. ‘I knew she was struggling with something. But I didn’t know what,’ she said.
The parents believe their daughter was murdered and they want to see her killer brought to justice.